Fluid brake



Sept, 2, 1924. 1,507,104

C. E. BRADBURN ET AL v FLUID BRAKE Filed ADril 2, 1923 Z6 Cuffia Z'mdbzzlvz and flugurfz'lzie,

Patented Sept. 2, 1.924.

UNITED teorici PATENT ortica.

CURTIS E. BRADBUBLN AND AUGUST FINKE, OF GARDEN CITY, KANSAS.

raum2 n Application med .April` 2,

To all whom t may concern: v

Beit known that we, Cmrrrs E. BRADBURN and AUGUST FINKE, citizens of the United States, residing at Garden City, in the county of Finney and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Fluid Brakes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention pertains to fluid brakes intended primarily for use on mo'tor vehicles, and one object; is to provide cooperating gears operatively connected, preferably, t'o the drive shaft so as to be rotated thereby, said gears constituting means for setting up a circulation of uid, preferably, in the form of' a lubricating oil. v

A further object is to provide means under the control of the driver, whereby the circulation of the fluid may be regulated to retard or sdtop the movement of the vehicle as desire A further object is to provide a brake of this character of simple and compact construction and which can be combined with the drive shaft or axle without, necessitating any material changes in design.

Other objects will hereinafter appear, and in order that the invention may be fully understood, reference will now be had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a side' elevation of the brake applied to an automobile drive shaft and its housing.

Fig. 2 is an inverted plan view partly in cross section on line A-A 'of Fig. 3.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the brake ap plied to the drive shaft and its housing.

Fig. 4 is a vertical cross section on line B-B of Fig. 3.

Referring now in detail to the various parts, A designates the drive shaft of a motor vehicle, and B the housing for said drive shaft A. The housing B is provided at its rear end with a flange C adapted to be bolted or otherwise` securedto a flange 2 on an extension 3 formed integral with a face plate 4 closing lthe forward side of a case 5. The rear side of the case 5 is closed with a face plate 6 similar to the face plate 4 and like the same having an extension 8 wlth a flange 9 bolted or otherwise secured to the forward portion of a supplemental housin D, which enclosesthe rear portion of the rive shaft A. The extensions 3 and 8 are equipped with internal packing 10 and 12, respectlvely, to

1923. Serial No. 629,346.

` prevent the fluid within the case 5 from leaking out through the openings through which the drive shaft A extends.

The case 5 is divided into reservoirs 14 and a gear chamber 15 by a partition 16 provided with oppositely-disposed valve chambers 17 and 18. The valve chambers 17 and 18 communicate withv the gear chamber 15. through ports 19 and 20and with Vthe reservoirs 14 through ports 21 and 22, respectively. The reservoirs 14 are supplied witha fluid, preferably lubricating oil, through an opening 23 in the upper portion of the case 5 which, also, has an outlet 24 in its lower portion through which the fluid may be drained when desired. The openings 23 and 24 are normally closed with screw plugs 25 and 26, respectively.

The gear chamber 15 is provided with a pair of intermeshing gear wheels 27 and 28,

the former of which is ixedlymounted upon l the drive shaft A, and the latter uponv a counger-.shaft 29 carried by the face plates 4 and The valve chambers 17 and 18 are equipped with piston valves 30 and 31 to control the flow of fluid through the ports 21 and 22, respectively. Said valves 30 and 31 have stems 32 and 33 connected to links 34 and 35, respectively. The links 34 and 35 are connected at their forward ends to a rocker arm 36 mounted upon a pivot 37 carried by a yoke 38 bolted or otherwise secured to the face plate 4. A connecting rod 39 extends 'for- Vwardly from the rocker arm 36 to a suitable control lever 40 arranged within convenient reach of the driver. The lever 40 -is, preferably, in the form of a hand lever and is associated with a segment 41 having a slotted portion with a central offset 42 for holding` the lever in neutral position, so that it may in turn hold thevalves 30 and 31 in neutral position. Stuffing boxes 43 and 44 are installed on 'the face plate 4 tov prevent oil escaping by way of the stems 32 and 33, respectively. y

The two gears 27 and 28 lit snugly within the chamber 15 and as they intermesh it is apparent that as the gear 27 rotates with the drlve shaft A it will in turn rotate the gear 28 and the-two will cooperate to force the fluid contents of the gear chamber '15 into half of the respective ports 19 and QOand thus permit free circulation of the Huid, but when itl is desiredto retard or check the travel of the vehicle, said valves 28 and 29 are adjusted to uncover to a greater degree the suction ports and close to a greater degree the discharge ports, with the result that the flow of Huid from the gear chamber 15 is retarded and' as said duid is noncompressible it will exert a corresponding retarding influence upon the gears '27and 28. The valves 30 and 31 may be adjusted to check either the forward or backward movement of the vehicle as desired.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings, it is apparent that we have produced a fluid brake embodying the advantages above pointed out, and while the preferred form has been disclosed in the drawings, 'it is to be understood that we reserve the" right to makesuch changes in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts as properly fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure byv Letters Patent, is:

1. In a fluid brake the combination with a housing andy a drive shaft. therein, of a brake case supported by saidhousing and embodying a gear chamber and a uid reservoir surrounding said gear chamber and separated therefrom by Aa partition, gears lwithin the gear chamber, one of said ears being connected to and revolvable wit the drive shaft and intermeshingwith the companion ear to rotate the same and .circulate the hun? through the gear case and :the reservoir, valve chambers communicating with opposite sides of the gear chamber and the reservoir through ports in the partition, and valves operably mounted within said valve cha'nbers to control the circulation of the fiui -2. In a fluid brake the combination with va housing and a drive s'hafttherein, of a brake case supported by said -housing and embodying a gear chamber and a fluid reservoir,- gears within the gear chamber, one of said gears being connected te and revovable with the drive shaft and intermeshing with the companion ar to rotate the same and circulate the uld' through the gear case and the reservoir, valve chambers communicatm with the va ves opera ly mounted within said valve chambers to control the circulation of the fluid, and manual means for mo said valves in opposite directions to each other.

ar chamber and the reservoir,

3.I In a fluid brake the combination with a housing and a'drive shaft therein, of a brake vcase suported by said' housing, a partition divi dividing the reservoir into two compartments and communicating with said compartments and the' gear case through suitable ports, and va ves operably lmounted within said valve'chambers to control the circulation of the fluid.

4. In t uuid brake the l@annulation with.' a housing and a drive shaft therein, of a brake casesupported by said housingand embodying a gear chamber and a fluid reservoir, gears within the gear chamber, one o f said gears being connected to and revolvable with the drive shaft and intermeshing with the companion gear to rotate the same and .circulate the Huid through the gear case and the reservoir, valve chambers communicating with the gear chamber and the reservoir,

and piston valves operably mounted within said valve chambers to control the circulation of the fluid.

5.' In a Huid brake the combination with a housing andta drive shaft therein, of a brake case supported by said housing and embodying a gear chamber and a fluid reser- Voir, gears within the gear chamber, one of said gears being connected to and revolvable Vwith the drive shaft and intermeshing with the companion gear to rotate the samev and ing vsaid case into a ear chamber and a reservolr, valve cham rs1 circulate the fluid through the gear case and A gears within said gear chamber to circulate the fluid through the same and the reservoir,

l-'valve chambers communicating with o -v vposite sides of the gear chamber and t e reservoir, and slide valves operably'vmounted within ,said valve chambers to control the circulation of the fluid.

'In testimony whereof we afiix our signatures, in the presence of two witnesses.

Witnesses WILLIAM WoNnn, S. N'. Rrc'ron. 

